The Government of Japan has agreed to provide development assistance totaling 43.8 billion Yen to Sri Lanka to be used in areas including infrastructure development and disaster prevention.

Of this 41.1 billion Yen will be loans while 2.7 billion Yen is a grant aid.

This was stated in a joint statement issued after a summit meeting between President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe held last evening at the Prime Minister's Office.

President Rajapaksa highly appreciated Japan's Official Development Assistance over the years which played a significant role for the social and economic development of Sri Lanka.

President Rajapaksa while acknowledging with appreciation the engagement of the Japanese consortium in the construction of the Parliamentary Complex in 1982, expressed his hope for further such engagement for its refurbishment work with a view to sustaining its historical value and unique identity.